Standing on the shores of the beach, the ocean seems to extend indefinitely. According to Rickey Lewis of Swansboro, that’s exactly what his longtime friend, Earl Dupey, loved about it.

“We’d always have conversations about what was on the other side,” Lewis said. “He loved looking at the ocean and enjoyed the freedom it had. It had endless opportunities. It was his safe haven.”

Lewis is among the friends and family remembering Dupey after he was the victim of a fatal New Year’s Eve night hit-and-run accident on N.C. 24 near Hubert Boulevard. Dupey, who was 30, is survived by his mother, Ycola Dupey, his father Earl Dupey Sr. and his sister Sabrina Dupey. Sabrina Dupey said she was across the road from her brother when the incident occurred.

“I didn’t want him walking across the road, so I told him I’d come and pick him up,” Sabrina Dupey said. “I honked the horn to get his attention and as he was walking back across the road, he got hit.”

Before he was airlifted to New Hanover Medical Center, Sabrina Dupey said her brother seemed to be in stable condition, but by the time the helicopter reached Wilmington, her brother was gone.

“I cried and cried and cried,” Sabrina Dupey said. “He was my only brother. I don’t have any other brothers and sisters. It was just us.”

Lewis said he was at his home when he found out that his friend, who he had known since the two were kids, was dead.

“I couldn’t stand it and I had a break down,” Lewis said. “I had some people over and they had to sit me down. It was devastating. It was like losing my brother.”

Lewis described Earl Dupey as a Ferris Bueller-like person who had an easygoing personality and was the “common denominator” between school social cliques as they graduated from Swansboro Middle and High schools. Though Lewis said Dupey was relaxed about most everything in life, one topic that would guarantee spirited discussion was Dupey’s favorite team: the Green Bay Packers.

“Earl was beyond the Packers No. 1 fan,” Lewis said. “When we were kids, he would save up all the money he could during football season so my dad could pay for Pay-Per-View to watch the Packers. He especially liked Brett Favre because despite all the struggles he (went) through, he would at least try to come out on top. Earl was a lot like that, too.”

Sabrina Dupey said she remembers the joy the most recent Green Bay Packers championship in 2010 brought her brother, and she bought him Packers-themed clothing this past Christmas.

“He never got a chance to wear them,” Sabrina Dupey said. “We’re going to put it in the casket with him.”

Page 2 of 2 - Friends and family remembering Earl Dupey also mentioned his sense of humor and his love for making people happy. Jackie Stevens, who said she has been friends with Dupey for the past two years, said he was the sort of person who could turn a stranger into a friend instantly.

“His arms were always open to you, even if he just met you,” Stevens said. “He’d slap hands with you or give you a hug and ask you how you’ve been even if he just met you.”

Lewis said Earl Dupey came to his aid at one of the worst times in his life, after his mother died soon after he began the 6th grade. Dupey brought food and comfort to Lewis’ home on a daily basis, according to Lewis.

“He was the person who kept my head on my shoulders as she passed away,” Lewis said. “Even at that age, his heart set him apart.”

Only two days after his passing, more than 600 people have already gathered on a Facebook memorial page to share photographs and memories of the man whose life ended as a new year prepared to begin. A visitation is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Saunders Funeral Home in Jacksonville

As of late Thursday, the make and model of the car that stuck Earl Dupey — believed to be a GMC or Chevy truck — has not been determined and a suspect has not been identified, according to troopers with the N.C. Highway Patrol. Anyone with information regarding the hit and run is asked to call the Onslow County Highway Patrol at 910-862-3134 or Onslow County Crime Stoppers at 800-334-7411.

Sabrina Dupey hopes the person responsible for her brother’s death will end the investigation and bring closure to her, her family, her brother’s friend and the case as a whole.

“I want the person to step forward,” she said. “Face responsibility for what you did to him. Knowing my brother, he would forgive that person two seconds later.”

Christopher Thomas is a staff writer for The Daily News. To contact him, call 910-219-8473 or send an e-mail to christopher.thomas@jdnews.com.